Imagine living in an underground world where the conditions are unpredictable and safety isn't always guaranteed. In these volatile conditions the possibility of falling rocks is always present. Whole body protection is always needed, which is where our dress plays a crucial part. This futuristic design uses  4 strategically placed rings that rest along the body and offer protection and coverage to the entire body from falling rocks. With 3 rings resting along the waist, hips, thighs and neck, and a preservative material resting in-between each disk, the body is shielded from any debris, boulders and dangerous material. While our design is not only well built and protective for the body, it is also built with intricate and beautiful designs as well. Each ring of the dress has intricate carvings that surround the dress and compliment its shapes and features. While using detailed designs to enhance the dress, the design uses minimal features to make the piece more pleasing to look at.

Black Phoenix was showcased as part of NuVu’s Fantasy FashionTech Collection on the runway at the Emerging Trends Show during NY Fashion Week 2014 and the Emerging Trends Show during Boston Fashion Week 2014.

Black Phoenix embodies the idea of transformation and renewal. Based on the “Phoenix,” the Greek mythological bird that died in a blaze of fire only to be reborn from its ashes, Black Phoenix continually reshapes and reforms through its generative structure, compacting and stretching to form itself anew.

We wanted to create a dress that acted as a monument. This dress was inspired by the book the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. We made a dress that was covered in names because there is a monster on Traal which keeps a large stone outside of it's cave where it writes the name of everyone it kills. We wanted to make a dress that while acts as a monument also can zip up to cover your face. Because the monster on Traal is so stupid that it thinks that if you cant see it, it can't see you. This project really portrays the "ravenous bugblatter beast of Trall".

Crystals-Minerals-Rocks Dress at The Emerging Trends Show, Boston Fashion Week 2014

The origin of the Crystals-Minerals-Rocks Dress came about from the examining the various types of formations that make up the Earth's strata. As the project progressed, we focused on representing these three main elements via different materials: the idea of crystals and minerals as elements emerging from the base is represented by the mirrored acrylic and the idea of rocks as the base material is represented by the black felt base. When looking at crystals and minerals, there are different points of view and angles one sees in the reflections. By using mirrored acrylic to represent crystals and minerals, it allows each person who looks at the dress to see something different depending on their unique vantage point.

Peacocks are a fascinating bird type with beautiful intricate designs. They are known to symbolize peace and have no body part made for attacking. Many people know of the multicolored Peacock but few know of the Albino Peacock. Being all white and the ultimate symbol of purity, The Albino Peacock was a large part of our concept for the Exo-Lung Peacock, a darker take on the Albino Peacock. The black laser-cut plywood "feathers" on the bottom piece have intricate designs based on Peacock feathers, while the dark "Exo-Lung" captures the strength, protection, and defence characteristics of the peacock's crest.

The origin of the Crystals-Minerals-Rocks Dress came about from the examining the various types of formations that make up the Earth's strata. As the project progressed, we focused on representing these three main elements via different materials: the idea of crystals and minerals as elements emerging from the base is represented by the mirrored acrylic and the idea of rocks as the base material is represented by the black felt base. When looking at crystals and minerals, there are different points of view and angles one sees in the reflections. By using mirrored acrylic to represent crystals and minerals, it allows each person who looks at the dress to see something different depending on their unique vantage point.